The power of music is immeasurable, but I try to grab pieces of it and explain how they affect me.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

And so it begins. . .

As a young boy, my mother tells me, I used to cry when I'd hear the Happy Birthday song. It wasn't fear, it was sentimentality. I know this to be true, because I still have a deep emotional connection to music. Some of this could be genetic, as my daughter has been exhibiting signs of musical sentimentality. Lately, when my wife sings her certain songs, my daughter gets visibly sad and cries. It's a very specific type of cry that tells me she's overwhelmed by the emotions the melody is evoking in her, inexplicably. But the key is that it's not tied to a memory or any past experience as she doesn't have many at 2 years old and it could be a made up song she's never heard before, so long as it has certain emotional tones. I don't really know what it could be, but I recognize it when I hear it.

In any case, my connection with music also comes from the fact that throughout my life, I remember music being there. Growing up, I remember my dad would play his records on the weekends, pretty much all day. It was all Spanish music, mostly from the 70's and 80's, and while the first record I ever chose for myself at age 5 was Kiss Hotter Than Hell, it's really the experience of listening to my parent's music that set me on my way.

So this blog will be about my connection to music. I'll be posting about songs and albums that I am either strongly connected to or that I am discovering now. It could be new or old, any genre. And, what's more, if you're reading this, I hope you'll interact. Send suggestions, comment, etc.